Ernest vogel



v(Specimens.)

E. VOGE'L. METHOD OF AND MEANS FOR TREATING FIBER FORTHE MANUFACTURE, 0E BRUSHES, 8w.

1M MM 7 m f f u. PETERS, PhcloLnhngnphun Washington. 11c.

NITED STATES PA'rnN'r @rrrcn.

ERNEST VOGEL, OF NEW LOTS, ASSIGNOR TO MILES BROTHERS & (30., OF

- NEW YORK, N. Y.

METHOD OF AND MEANS FOR TREATING FIBER FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF BRUSHES, 8L0.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 331,852, dated December 8, 1885.

Application filed May 522, 1884. Serial No. 132,371. (Specimens) To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I. ERNEST VoGaL, ofthe town of New Lots, county of Kings, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Method of and Means for Treating Fiber for the Manufacture of Brushes and Brooms, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

My invention has special relation to the treatment of that class of fiber known to the trade as tampico, but may be applied to 1 the treatment of other fibersof an analogous character.

The object of my invention is to treat the fiber in quantities in such manner that each filament shall be provided with a flag end or gradually taper off to a sharp point, and each be rendered smooth and elastic, so that when made up into brushes and brooms (either with and without a mixture of bristles) the treated fiber shall closely resemble the ani 2 mal bristles in all their essential characteristics, be much cheaper than animal bristles and greatly superior to the untreated fiber heretofore employed.

To this end my improvements involve a 0 new and useful process or method, and certain new and useful peculiarities of construction and principles of operation in the machine or device employed for carrying out the process of treatment, all of which will be 5 herein first fully described, and then pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, formingpart of this specification, Figure l is an end elevation, and Fig. 2 a front elevation, of a machine or apparatus constructed in accordance with my invention and involving my improvements. Fig. 3 is an end view showing two grinding or polishing rollers arrangedin pairs, and showing one manner in which a frame 4 5 may be employed to hold the fiber while being operated upon. Fig. 4 is an end view showing two grinders or polishing-rollers arranged one above the other, all calculated to operate in accordance with my invention. Fig. 5 is an axial section of a fragment of one of the rollers, showing one manner of construction, and Fig. 6 a similar view showing another.

In all these figures like letters of reference, wherever they occur, indicate corresponding parts.

Each filament of the tampico or other fiber is, in the condition in which it reaches the brush-maker, of about equal diameter throughout, rough, brittle, and poorly adapted for brush and broom making. The fibers, being 6 straightened, are generally tied in bunches or tufts and the ends squared off," leaving each filament blunt at each end.

In the drawings, A represents a grinding roller or wheel, and this may be made up of a number of layers of cotton cloth or other fabric (represented at a a, Fig. 5) clamped between end-plates, B B, and mounted upon an axle, G, which is to be driven rapidly by the application of any power, as through the medium of a pulley, D, and suitable connect-ions. lVhen the wheel is so made, the edges of the layers of fabric project slightly beyond the end plates, so as to leave an elastic or yielding surface, yet one sufficiently strong and durable for all 7 5, intended purposes, and one well calculated to preserve its general contour while in use.

The grinding and polishing rollers are so far madealike; but the surface of the grinding roller is treated with glue and fine sand, so as 8:; to give it a sharp cutting-surface. This cutting-surface is intended to be represented by the dots on the roller at the right of Fig. 2, and when worn away by use the cutting-sun face may be quickly and easily replaced by successive additions of glue and sand. The fabric is little liable to be worn, and seldom needs to be replaced.

Instead of being made as in Fig. 5, the grinding or polishing roller may be made of wood 0 or any other material, and covered with a layer of felt, cloth, leather, or other suitable material, (represented at (5,) which will afford the required elasticity and uniformity of surface as well as durability. The grinding-roller 5 is to be treated with glue and sand, the same as in the case of the layers of fabric. The roller might be made entirely of felt, cloth, leather, or other suitable material, leaving out the interior wooden cylinder.

IOO

E is the presser, shown as mounted upon an axle, F, so that it can revolve freely, sustained at a distance from the grinder, as by springs G G, and made to approach the grinder, as by use of a treadle, H, and its connections H.

I represents a simple guard or protector, which is employed to protect the hands of the operator.

The operator opens a tuft of the fiber, spreads it out a little, inserts one end thereof between the presser and grinder, then bears down upon the treadle, gradually increasing the pressure thereon as he draws the tuft toward him, and repeats these operations until each filament is suitably ground down at the end. In thus drawing the fiber the presser E is made to revolve in the direction indicated by the arrow, Fig. 1, and while firmly pressing the fiber upon the grinder it enables the tuft to be drawn with less friction than would result from use of a presser not permitted to revolve; but for all practical purposes of the invention the presser might be made so that it could not revolve, and still be within the scope of my improvements.

If desired, the tuft may be ground at both ends, and then severed in the middle. The filaments being so ground are yet rough, and should be polished or smoothed, and for this purpose I employ another roller, K, (which may be made and mounted like A, exceptthat it is not sanded,) operating in conjunction with another presser, as L, made and mounted same as the presser E. The presser L is operated by a treadle, M, with connections M and springs N. For convenience, the two principal rollers may be mounted upon the same bench.

The polishing is not alone always sufficient, for the filaments must be made elastic and the pores thereof filled with some suitable compound to render them serviceablein higher-grade brushes, and for this reason I coat the polishing or finishing roller K with wax, par-affine, oil, or other similar material calculated to render the filaments elastic and durable. This is instantly distributed over the fiber in a thorough and eificient manner, and after being subjected to the polishing operation the fiber is found to resemble the natural bristles in a remarkable degree. The treated fiber may then be employed in brushes and brooms, as are the natural bristles; or it may be mixed with natural bristles to any extent required.

If more rapid grinding or polishing be reuired, instead of employing the presser-rollers E and L the grinding or polishing wheels may be doubled, as indicated at O O in Figs. 3 and 4, their axes being made to revolve together and being located in any position with respect to each other.

Any suitable frame, as P, maybe employed to hold and present the fiber to the rollers, and the rollers may be made to approach and recede from each other under the influence of spring-pressure, or the elasticity of the surfaces depended upon to admit the bristles between them.

The length of the taper upon the filaments will depend upon the distance the tuft is fed into the grinder, and this may be regulated at pleasure.

The treadles and their connections may be replaced by any mechanical equivalent.

The machine is simple and durable, and performs the grinding and polishing in a uniform and thorough manner.

I am aware that it has heretofore been proposed to grind fiber for making imitation bristles by subjecting it to the action of rigid cutters brought in varying succession in contact with the fiber. The action of such cutters is of necessity to gouge out portions of the filament, rendering the same uneven and not uniformly tapered, as required, and breaking the filaments before the desired fine point can be secured. I do not desire to be understood as making any claim to such cutters; but,

Having now fully described my invention,

what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The herein-described method of tapering and finishing fiber of the character herein set forth-that is to say, first grinding each filament in a bunch of the fiber upon a uniform or unbroken elastic grinding-surface, so that all shall be gradually and uniformly tapered off to a point, and then smoothing, polishing, and filling the ground fiber by application to a separate uniform elastic finishingsurface having the filling material applied thereon, substantially as set forth.

2. In an apparatus for treating fiber of the character herein set forth, the herein described grinding roller or wheel having an elastic uniform or unbroken outer surface coated uniformly throughout its extent with sand, the said roller being combined with an IIO independent adjustable presser, also having a uniform or unbroken surface, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

3. In an apparatus for treating fiber of the character herein set forth, the herein described polishing roller or wheel having an I ERNEST VOGEL.

WVitnesses EMIL SOHIELLEIN, F. RESTBERG. 

